The semester is ending, and with it, many seniors are graduating college and heading out into the real world. While we are living in an unprecedented time, recent grads are scrambling for job opportunities. One way to ensure you make a good impression on a potential employer is perfecting your social profiles.

According to Monster.com, a study was done to determine the importance of social media profiles to employers. Employers in the communications and public relations field ranked social media as most highly, with 82% describing it as important. This further emphasizes the relevance of social media profiles while searching for jobs in the communications and public relations field and the importance of perfecting your social profiles.

The same Monster article also highlighted the importance of employers using social media to search for potential hires. This means that the first impression an employer gets of you could be one of your social profiles, which does not exclusively apply to LinkedIn. Organizations could look at your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or even Tik Tok accounts! Here are some helpful tips for perfecting you social profiles:

Keep It Professional

Make sure that your profile, no matter the platform, gives an air of appropriateness and professionalism. Delete content that could possibly be considered inappropriate, a good rule of thumb is to ask the question for each post, “Would I want my mom to see this?”. Another good way to perfect your social profiles is to add a professional headshot photo as your profile picture.

Update, Update, Update!

Update your social profiles regularly to show enthusiasm and interest, especially if you are going into the communications or public relations fields. Commentary on interesting articles, promotion updates, and general posts of interest can not only increase your following, but also impress employers.

Include Contact Information

Something you may not have thought of when perfecting your social profiles is including your contact information. This does not have to be everything; a simple email address will suffice. As long as potential employers have a way to reach you, you’re in business!